Pounding the pavement: How shoe evolution changed the Marathon

When Boston Athletic Association head coach Michael Pieroni hears Marathoners and other racers trying to blame disappointing performances on their shoes, he tells them that runners from past decades turned in fast times with far inferior footwear. He could also remind them how easy it is nowadays to find and buy the latest light-weight, high-tech shoes.

By Michael Morton/Daily News staff

MetroWest Daily News, Framingham, MA

By Michael Morton/Daily News staff

Posted Apr. 1, 2012 at 12:01 AM
Updated Apr 1, 2012 at 1:04 AM

By Michael Morton/Daily News staff

Posted Apr. 1, 2012 at 12:01 AM
Updated Apr 1, 2012 at 1:04 AM

» Social News

When Boston Athletic Association head coach Michael Pieroni hears Marathoners and other racers trying to blame disappointing performances on their shoes, he tells them that runners from past decades turned in fast times with far inferior footwear.

He could also remind them how easy it is nowadays to find and buy the latest light-weight, high-tech shoes.

Museum curator and runner Richard Johnson remembers trips to Blue Ribbon Sports in Framingham — by most accounts the first and only running shop at one time in New England.

Visitors called ahead to get the store’s address and directions. Upon arriving, they climbed some stairs and entered through a plain door in the back, evoking a stop at a speakeasy or a dealer of drugs or outlawed weapons — even if the goods were lawfully imported shoes from Japan.

Inside, the store smelled of cardboard and glue and just featured stacks of the latest shipment — no promotional posters or piped-in music, Johnson recently recalled.

“You had to make the pilgrimage,” said Johnson, who runs the Sports Museum of New England at TD Garden in Boston and penned “The Boston Marathon” with his son. “Or make sure you had the right shoe size and have someone do it for you.”

And that was in the 1970s. When Boston Marathon forefathers held their first race in 1897, runners needed shoes for a sport that for decades remained the province of an eccentric few.

In the earliest years, elite runners might visit a local cobbler for a primitive leather crafting or head to one of New England’s myriad shoe factories. But they were just as likely to alter their work footwear, tinkering with homemade replacement soles and cutting out parts on the upper that might rub.

Much of the Marathon course was still on dirt roads, providing a softer surface that made the minimal cushioning of the era’s shoes tolerable.

But the variable conditions also left the possibility of dreaded “stone bruises” on soles for those not striding carefully. Runners often pulled their shoes off at the Boston finish to reveal blistered, battered and bloodied feet.

“If there’s any sport that has changed more, due to its equipment, I can’t think of it,” Johnson said of long-distance running.

In 1926, deliveryman Johnny Miles set a then-world record of 2 hours, 25 minutes and 40 seconds on a pair of off-the-shelf, $1 casual canvas shoes — not an uncommon approach.

In 1938, New Balance founder William Kiley made $7 shoes out of kangaroo leather for the Brown Bag Harriers running club, providing members with durability, if not a spring in their step. And in Germany after World War II, Adidas creator Adi Dassler crafted shoes with leftover tent canvas and fuel tank rubber.

But shoes didn’t change much for decades. The first iconic specialty model, Johnson said, came out in 1960, when New Balance’s then-owners manufactured the cushioned Trackster out of their Arlington basement after consulting with runners. The shoe was designed to enhance traction, absorb shock and avoid injuries.

Page 2 of 3 - But even then, running shoes could prove hard to come by. Elite runners with money might visit overseas factories for custom models, but others would wait for salesmen to open their car trunks at races or send in orders by mail. For New Balance, buyers would include a tracing of their feet.

It was not until the running boom of the ’70s and ’80s that specialty running stores spread and companies began pouring money into researching and developing proprietary, high-tech materials. With new components like nylon uppers and next-generation rubber, designs and performances improved.

While black leather race shoes from the early 1900s in the Boston Athletic Association’s collection weigh 1 pound, 15 ounces, Adidas’ new $115 Adios 2 come in at less than a quarter of that, at 7.4 ounces.

Rather than past designs’ focused on durability, manufacturers now work each year to improve their magical formulas — shoes that absorb more shock but weigh less.

They’re also embracing a “minimalist” trend — short of barefoot running, exemplified most extremely by Concord company Vibram’s FiveFingers that provide a separate slot for each toe.

The category covers a spectrum of weights and cushioning but generally means some combination of greater sole flexibility, lower weight and a reduction of the ratio of heel to forefoot height for a flatter feel.

While minimalism isn’t for everyone and runners don’t have to go that route to employ proper form, the new designs do help because stride length is restricted by where it feels comfortable to strike the pavement, said Nick Littlefield, marketing manager for retail outlet Marathon Sports.

While runners report only occasional FiveFingers sightings at the Marathon, many have embraced less extreme minimalist shoes. Boston qualifier Derek Perkins of Sudbury is temporarily back in traditional race-wear after an unrelated toe problem, but plans to go minimalist again.

“I’m getting older — anything that helps shave off ounces,” joked the 56-year-old, running for Perkins School for the Blind.

Whitney Olson of the Waters Corp. in Milford, however, thought the shoes felt too thin when she tried them at Marathon Sports and then heard talk of injuries.

But the medical field has been surprised by what it’s seen so far from minimalism, even as research and analysis continues, said Tim Mondale, a physical therapist at Newton-Wellesley Hospital who helps at the facility’s post-Marathon injury clinics.

“Already, I think we’ve been surprised we don’t see more injuries,” he said. “Historically, we would have said, ‘Boy, this isn’t going to go well.’”

The shoes have also upended existing views on stress responses and biomechanics, Mondale said. While there is not yet evidence the new models boost performance or reduce injuries, it also doesn’t seem like runners with particular foot characteristics are more likely to handle them better than others, with a diverse mix adapting and, at times, getting hurt.

Page 3 of 3 - Mondale recommends that those interested in the shoes give them a shot but pay attention to new aches and pains.

As for continued overall industry innovation, Littlefield said companies are probably close to maxing out on shaving weight while still providing protection.

“The reality is, there probably is a limit of some kind,” he said.

Then again, he pointed to efforts by Nike focusing on new weaving techniques for its uppers — potentially producing a four-ounce shoe.

(Michael Morton can be reached at 508-626-4338 or mmorton@wickedlocal.com.)